CPR in house might be made simpler by chest compression machines

Microgravity makes it difficult to do easy duties like consuming, utilizing the bathroom and showering, so it’s no surprise that performing CPR on somebody whose coronary heart stops beating in house is an especially demanding process. But a mechanical system might do the job extra successfully, assessments carried out in simulated microgravity counsel.

On Earth, one’s weight and energy are used to compress the affected person’s chest. But in house, issues are completely different, as weight turns into just about meaningless.

NASA’s CPR protocol for the International Space Station calls for that you just wedge your self and the affected person between two arduous surfaces, do a handstand on their chest and push along with your legs to supply compression.

In search of a greater manner, Nathan Reynette on the University of Lorraine in France and his colleagues examined varied CPR strategies in an Airbus A310 aeroplane flying parabolic curves, a manoeuvre that creates 22 seconds of microgravity. They additionally examined three completely different chest compression machines which are generally utilized in cramped environments on Earth, resembling at the back of air ambulance helicopters.

All the strategies had been utilized to a coaching dummy and the depths of chest compression achieved had been fastidiously monitored. The European Resuscitation Council says a depth of a minimum of 50 millimetres is important to be efficient: within the assessments, one of the best mechanical system achieved 53 millimetres, however the handstand methodology solely achieved 34.5 millimetres.

The analysis will likely be offered on the European Society of Cardiology Congress in Madrid on 31 August. Reynette and his colleagues stated in a press launch that they hope their findings will affect future tips on CPR in house.

Aaron Parkhurst at University College London says the present methodology for CPR in house is tough to carry out and ripe for enchancment. “If you were doing this in zero gravity or in a space station for some reason, things have probably gone very wrong and the prognosis is probably not great,” he says. “This new method seems to address that.”

As house journey turns into extra frequent and astronauts aren’t all extremely chosen and very match individuals, the probability of cardiac incidents in orbit will develop bigger, says Parkhurst. “Leaving Earth’s atmosphere, just the stress of those moments in the rocket, is extremely hard on the heart. And living long-term in space is extremely hard on cardiovascular systems. So it’s bound to happen,” he says.

A NASA spokesperson stated in an announcement: “Manual compressions remain the current CPR procedure aboard the International Space Station. NASA mitigates the risk of needing CPR through extensive medical screening of astronauts and robust engineering safeguards. NASA has not conducted dedicated studies on the use of CPR machines in microgravity; however, our medical team closely follows all emerging research and findings and will continue to do so as the agency prepares for future human exploration missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond.”